Governance

John Shipsey
Governor

John was educated at Ampleforth College (T82) and went on to study Classics at Oxford.  He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse and has an MBA from Insead.

After working for Diageo in the UK, Spain and USA (1992-2005), he was Chief Financial Officer of Dyson Ltd (2005-2017), Smiths Group plc (2017-2022) and Featurespace Ltd (2023-2025). He is a Trustee of the Diocese of Clifton.

John is married to Fiona and their three children were educated at Ampleforth. He struggles to hold his own against all of them on the tennis court and the golf course.

Jonathan Lewis
Governor

Jonathan was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, before studying finance and economics at Manchester Business School, receiving a BA, MA, and MBA. He began his career in London in PwC’s Corporate Finance team, where he also qualified as an FCA Chartered Accountant. Then spending five years living in Singapore as the Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of a multi-billion dollar investment fund, where he also sat on the Board of all portfolio companies. He is currently a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Olympia Capital Partners, an investment and advisory firm, and now lives back in Yorkshire with his wife and young family. 

Sir Julian Brazier
Governor

Former Member of Parliament and Minister. Background in business including the City and management consulting. Continues to hold non-executive positions. Former Territorial Army Officer. His political, military and voluntary public service has involved much contact with young people and he serves on the board of two national youth charities. Former school governor.

Martha Byrne Hill
Chair of the Pastoral Care Committee

Martha was educated at Mayfield School before reading law at Downing College, Cambridge.  Her years in practice as a solicitor began in London and she lived in both India and Hong Kong doing a variety of contentious and non-contentious work across a number of jurisdictions. 

She was a Governor of Orwell Park School in Suffolk for ten years, latterly as the Safeguarding Governor. She is currently a Trustee of and Chair of the Nominations Committee for the Ryedale Festival in North Yorkshire, an annual two-week music and performing arts festival. She was also involved in fundraising work for a national charity, Turn2Us. Martha was for many years involved in preparing children and young people for First Holy Communion and Confirmation before moving with her family to North Yorkshire in 2014. 

Martha’s husband, Damien, is an old-Amplefordian and their three sons and one daughter were all educated at Ampleforth between 2009 and 2019. She has attended the Triduum Retreat at Ampleforth since 1992 and was closely involved in developing and running the extensive Children’s Liturgy Programme during the Retreat. 

Her particular interests include the Rule of St Benedict, contemporary and classical, particularly Baroque, music and long walks with her spaniels.

Martin Vander Weyer
Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee

Business Editor and columnist at the Spectator. Contributor to the Daily Telegraph and Literary Review. Author. Academic Visitor to St Antony's College, Oxford. Former Deputy Chair and Chair of the Finance Committee, Royal Northern College of Music and Trustee and member of Finance and Nominations Committees, Opera North. Former Visiting Research Fellow of York University Management School. Trustee of Helmsley Arts Centre.

Matthew Mostyn
Governor

Matthew was educated at Downside and the University of Exeter. He began his teaching career in 1994 at Cheltenham College, where he taught French and German, was a resident tutor, coached sport, ran the theatre and managed the College polo team.

From there, he moved to Shrewsbury School, where he completed fourteen years, of which ten were spent as housemaster of a 13–18 boys’ boarding house.

In January 2013, he became Second Master at Stonyhurst College, with overarching responsibility for the day to day running of the school, and since September 2019, he has been Headmaster of St Edmund’s College, Ware. He is also a Team Inspector for the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate.

Matthew has a wide range of interests, including literary translation, and playing the organ and piano. He has directed numerous productions and spent many years as an Officer in the Combined Cadet Force. He is a Level 4 rowing coach and also coached rugby for much of his earlier career.

In his spare time, Matthew enjoys skiing, country sports, dog walking and The Times crossword.

Michael Clark
Governor

Michael is a retired Consultant Paediatric Neurologist and Community Paediatrician. He has worked in the NHS for 45 years; 35 as a Consultant. Michael has ,primarily, been a clinician but has also had roles in management, training, mentoring, educational supervision and service development.

Nick Van Zeller
Governor

Educated at Ampleforth and The Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Fellow of The Royal Institution Chartered Surveyors.

A lifetime career at Knight Frank, International Property Consultants, culminating as the partner responsible for their Country Business including sales, purchases, valuations and land management.

Penelope Walkinshaw
Governor

Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire and Former High Sheriff. Member Peterborough Keys Academy Trust, Board Member DfE Fenland and East Cambridgeshire Opportunity Area Board, Founder Trustee East Anglian Education Trust, improving social mobility in East Anglia, and Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust. Set up and grew Chelsea Enamels, delivered contemporary Furniture collection for Mallett Antiques. Fundraising experience with many voluntary organisations including: the Fitzwilliam Museum, Addenbrooke's Hospital and East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Richard Tams
Governor

Richard was educated at Ampleforth College (J86) and went on to study Law at Cardiff University. After 27 years working for British Airways in a wide variety of countries in Europe, North America and Asia, he now runs his own business consultancy in the aviation and travel sector, Tailwind Advisory Ltd. Before leaving the airline in 2018, Richard was posted to Beijing as Executive Vice President Greater China for British Airways and Iberia Airlines of Spain and, prior to that, he was Head of Sales & Marketing in the UK, based at BA’s Heathrow Head Office.

He has sat on a number of boards including British Airways Holidays, BA Cityflyer and British American Business Inc. He currently sits on the board of the Institute of Travel Management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Travel & Tourism. He is an accredited professional coach, a freelance travel writer and a regular member of the annual Ampleforth Lourdes Pilgrimage.

Richard is also a Trustee of the Ampleforth Society.

Robert Sword
Chair of the Estates Committee

Educated at the Royal Agricultural College and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Robert commenced his career in rural property management with Humberts at Badminton, Hatfield Park and Cranborne and subsequently moved to the London office advising landowners in the diversification of their land and buildings. In 1983 he relocated to the north to establish an office in York for Humberts.

In 1993 he joined the Dawnay Estates as the Estates Director for the Yorkshire Estates responsible for overseeing the management of the two Estates and the six family businesses. On retiring in 2020 he continues to provide consultancy advice and Trusteeship to several Estates, Charitable Foundations and the Moorland Association (North York Moors).

Robin Burdell
Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee

Robin Burdell was educated at Ampleforth College (1969-1976) and is a retired independent school bursar, now working as a freelance consultant bursar. Previous posts include Head of Finance and Marketing Appointments for RSAcademics Ltd, Director of Finance and Operations for Worth School and Finance Director for Worth Abbey; Business Director and Secretary to the Board of Truro School; Director of Finance and Estates at Nottingham High School; and Head of Finance and Administration and Company Secretary at Stanford Hall Enterprises Ltd.

He has served on the Independent School Bursars’ Association (ISBA) Executive Committee, Chairman of the ISBA General Purposes Committee, and on the Board of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). Robin Burdell is a qualified Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA) and a Member of Chartered Global Management Accountants (CGMA).

Stephanie Garthwaite
Chair of the Education Committee

Stephanie is immensely proud to be the current Headteacher at St Peter’s Catholic College, Middlesbrough. As a former PE teacher, Stephanie has always had a passion and vocation for teaching and learning; she has worked in some of the most challenging schools within the North East, which has been her calling, ensuring rapid school improvement occurs.

Her motivation and ambition is to continue developing the next generation of school leaders and teachers to ensure all pupils receive an outstanding and first rated education.